Roller mill



June 1, 1937. J, w. KENT ET AL 2,082,498

ROLLER MILL Filed Oct. 19, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1' w g MAJ/Q BY, I 4m 5 Y 4M RNEY IN V EN TOR! June 1, 1937. J, w, T ET AL 2,082,498

ROLLER MILL Filed Oct. 19, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORIS June 1, 1937.. I W. KENT E AL 2,082,498

ROLLER MILL Filed Oct. 19, 1935 I v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.5. 22' 33' I z INVENTORJ l/mwgbw Patented June 1, 1937 ROLLER James W. Kent, Brooklyn, and Elmer Peters, Richmond :ti'i N. Y.

Application October 19, 1935, s No. 45,742

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the adjusting mechanism employed in roller mills such as are used for grinding inks, paints, chocolates or other like material. Such roller mills require an adjusting mechanism of simple construction, arranged for easy manipulation and capable of a very fine degree of adjustment. Many types of roller mill adjusting mechanisms exist in the art. Only a few of them may be said to approximate the required degree of efiiciency and ease of operation. Nearly all of them attempt to solve the problem by applying the adjusting force or pressure against the roller bearings individually. Such prior solutions have however not been entirely successful, because when the rollers are being adjusted by forces applied against the bearings individually, it has been found almost impossible to overcome the dimculties which arise because of faulty construc- 26 tion, expansion and contraction due to temperatures and the differences in the pressures applied to the bearings. v The present invention aims to provide a perfect adjusting device the chief feature of which is that the force is applied at a central point and against a single member from which in turn the roller bearings are operated. It has been found that if the roller bearings are connected by a member and the adjusting force applied central- 13' of said member at a point midway between the bearings then a very fine degree of adjustment is obtained and the roller is then moved parallel to its axis with equal pressure applied to the bearings.

The present invention has for its object to provide a generally improved adjusting mechanism for a roller mill embodying the principle of applying the adjusting pressure force against the individual roller at a point midway between the bearings so that in adjusting a roller, the

same may be moved exactly parallel to its axis and an even surface pressure, i. e. adjustment obtained. To this end the invention is embodied in a roller mill adjusting mechanism arranged and constructed as hereinafter set forth and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a three roller mill equipped with an adjusting mechanism embodying the invention with parts in section and parts omitted, the illustration being substantially a sectional view along the line l-l of Figure 2.

Fig. 2 is an end view looking from the left in Figure 1.

- bearing beam 22 by another bracket 34.

Fig. 3 is a similar view looking from the right in Figure 1 with parts omitted.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view in line d-d of Figure l.

Fig. 5 is a top view of certain parts of the adjusting mechanism.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification.

In the drawings the Well known standard parts of a three roller grinding mill is shown in outline only. Referring to the drawings the nu w merals 80, ll denote the two end frames of the machine which are joined by cross members in a well known manner. The grinding rollers l2, l3 and it are supported in bearings l5, l6 and H as usual. The bearings I t which support the 15 middle roller l3 are fixed to the frames as indicated by bolts I8.

The mechanism for adjusting the top roller l2 parallel to its axis and towards the middle roller l3 comprises the following elements. The bearings 15 have attached thereto brackets 59 20 to which are pivoted at 26 to other inverted brackets 2! which are bolted to two channel bars 22, 22 which together form what may be termed a bearing beam for purposes of description. The 2 bearing beam therefore extends from one bearing l5 to another bearing l5 parallel to the axis of the roller 12. The channel bars 32 are spaced apart as shown particularly in Figures 2, 3 and 4, and between them there is located what may be 30 called a pivot beam also comprising two channel bars 23, 23. The pivot beam it-using this numeral to identify both the bars and the beam for purposes of convenient identification-is pivoted at one end, to the left in, Figure 1, to a bracket 25 by means of a pivot 25. The other. right hand end of the pivot beam 23, is pivoted to a toggle 26, 2'! which in turn is pivoted at 28 to a bracket 29. The two brackets 26 and 29 are bolted to a casting 30 which conveniently forms a covering 40 casing at the top of the machine.

The two beams, the bearing beam 22 and the pivot beam 23, are pivotally connected together by a link 32 located centrally between the bearings I5. The lower end of the link 32 is pivoted to the pivot beam 23 by means of a bracket 33, and the upper end of the link is pivoted to the The bearings l5 rests upon expansion springs 35 which normally serve to keep the upper roller l2 a 50 slight distance away from the middle roller l3.

When it is desired to adjust the upper roller relative to the adjacent roller which in practice means to move the upper roller so close to the other roller that proper even grinding pressure 55 is obtained between the two rollers, force is applied to the toggle 26, 21. Preferably hand power is used because this enables the operator to obtain a fine adjustment such as may I be required for the particular material to be ground and as may best be taught by experience. In the present instance the operator turns a hand wheel 36 and applies pressure in an obvious manner to a plunger 31 acting against the toggle serving to straighten the same.

The members now move as follows. The straightening of the toggle depresses the right hand .end of the pivot beam 23 in Figure 1, this beam swinging around the pivot 25, thus the bracket 33 is lowered which in turn pulls down the link 32 and through the link causes the bearing beam 22 to be forced downward thereby applying an exact even pressure upon the two bearings I5 and thus adjusting the roller I2 to what ever extent may be required. The roller bearings are guided in the frame of the machine in the usual manner. By this operation the adjusting force has been applied at a point located midway between the roller bearings and an absolute even pressure is applied to the bearings and the roller is moved in perfect parallelism to itself.

A similar construction isemployed for lifting the lower roller I4 and adjust its pressure against the middle roller I3. The bearings I1 of the roller I4 are connected by the inter-pivoted brackets 40 and M to the bearing beam 42, which consists of two channel bars 42, 42. The latter carries a bracket 43 to which the lower end of a link 44 is pivoted. The upper end of the link is pivoted to another bracket 45 carried by the pivot beam 46, also consisting of two channel bars 46. The left end of the pivot beam is pivoted-at 41 to a'bracket 48. The right end of the pivot beam is pivoted to a toggle 49, connected to a bracket 5|.

When force is applied to straighten the toggle, the right end of the pivot beam 46 is lifted, the beam swinging on the pivot 41 at its left end. The bracket 45 on the pivot beam 46 is also lifted and pulls up on-the bearing beam 42 through the link 44. Hence the bearing beam is lifted by power applied at its center and in turn lifts the two bearings I1 and the roller I4.

The toggle 49, 50 is straightened by means of a plunger 52 similar to the plunger 31. A handwheel 53 is used to apply force to the plunger; It is necessary to know how much pressure there is applied to the two rollers I2 and I4, so the operation of the plunger takes place by way of a pressure registering mechanism shown in section in Figure 1 for the lower roll I4. The mechanism is duplicated for the upper roll. The numeral 55 denotes a cylinder having a hollow piston 56. A screw 51' is operated against the piston by means of the handwheel 53, or 36 for the upper mechanism. A pipe 58 is carried by the piston 56 and leads to a gage 59. The cylinder 55 also containsthe plunger 527-or 31. The space 60 between the piston and the plunger is filled with a suitable incompressible liquid. When the handwheel is operated the piston is forced outward in the cylinder and in turn through the compressible liquid moves the plunger against the toggle in an obvious manner. u The pressure is registered by the gage.

In adjusting the rollers I2 and I4 the operator operates the handwheels 36 and 53. .The upper plunger 31 engages the toggle 26, 21 and the upper bearing beam 22 is forced downward to press down the bearings I5 against the springs 35. When the pressure is relieved by unscrewing the screw 51, the springs expand and lift the roller I2 away from the roller I3. The operation is similar for the lower roller except that it is lifted against the roller I3 and when the pressure is relieved, the roller I4 sinks by gravity away from -the roller I3.

The movements of the several parts are very small and it is therefore necessary that a certain amount of elasticity be embodied in the adjusting mechanism without sacrificing the main principle of operation which is that of applying the adjusting force centrally between the bearings. The fact that the beams are floating so to speak between pivots interposed between the beams, the machine and the roller bearings tend to facilitate and ease the adjusting operation and at the same time afford means for applying the pressure in the most efiicient manner.

Many roller mills, if not all of them, have the driving motor, not shown, mounted on the top of the mill, hence the present embodiment of the invention isadvantageous in that the operating handwheels are located to one side of the machine and the adjusting mechanism fits well with the general design of the machine and take up very little space. It will also be noted that the pressure is applied in line with the main frame members of the machine so that the adjusting mechanisms may be designed very strongly, yet embody free movement to the fullest extent.

In connection with the drawings it should be noted that the link construction at 44 for the lower roll is the reverse of that for the upper roll. Also that the springs 35 are shown merely as a diagrammatic form of a member for lifting the upper roll when the pressure is relieved.

Figure 6 illustrates a modification in which the bearings 62 of the upper roll I2 are hung in a yoke 63 and the bearings 64 of the lower roll I 4 rest in another yoke 65. The yokes are operated to apply pressure to the bearings by means of toggle link constructions 66 and 61 actuated to move the rollers by means of right and left threaded screws 66 and 69 operated by handwheels 16 and H. The screw shafts are guided in swinging bearings 12 and 13. Each toggle isconnected to a stem 14 which carries a piston 15 movable within a pressure cylinder 16 containing a compressible liquid to register the pressure in an obvious manner. The cylinders have pipes 11 leading to gages, not shown.

The operation in Figure 6 is substantially the same as abovedescribed in that the pressure is applied centrally between the roller hearings in an obvious manner.

While the invention is disclosed in its preferred form it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the principle of the invention and without departing from the spirit of the appended claims.

We claim:

1.,In a roller mill in combination a frame, a grinding roller, a pair of bearing boxes supporting the roller, -a single rigid member pivoted to said bearing boxes and connecting the same and mechanism operable between said frame and said rigid member for applying pressure to the latter at a point midway betweenthe bearing boxes simultaneously in a direction at right angle to the axisof the roller.

2. In a roller mill in combination a frame, a grinding roller, a pair of bearing boxes supporting the roller, a first single rigid member connesting said bearingboxes, a second member pivoted to the frame, a connection between the said first and second member positioned midway vbetween the bearing boxes and means for actuating only said second pivoted member whereby to apply pressure upon the said connection to move the said first rigid member parallel to itself for the purpose set forth.

3. In a roller mill in combination a frame, a grinding roller, a pair of bearing boxes supporting the roller, a first member pivotally connected to the bearing boxes, another member pivoted to the frame, means for pivotally connecting the first member to the said other member at a point upon said first member equidistantly from the said bearing boxes and mechanism for operating the said other member upon its pivot whereby to apply pressure to the said connection for the pur- JAMES W. KENT. ELMER PETERS.

- pose set iorth. 

